Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day on Oct. 6, Emphasis in U.S. on Military Families

IMBA will celebrate its eighth-annual Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day (TKMBD) on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012. This is a great opportunity for you to share your passion for pedaling with kids!

TKMBD is an annual celebration held on the first Saturday of October. The event, developed and coordinated by IMBA, strives to encourage communities around the world to join together and ride mountain bikes with youth. Last year, we had more than 13,000 participants at hundreds of events across the globe, including: Australia, Canada, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico and South Africa. Informal or formal, with one child or one hundred, TKMBD events celebrate the joy of riding in the dirt.

How to Organize a TKMBD Event

It is really quite simple: plan a mountain bike ride with some kids! While TKMBD events are most often hosted by local IMBA chapters and affiliates, anyone can register an event. Here are some examples:

Keep it simple! Gather some bikes, helmets and kids, then hit your local trails. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that.

Military family? Take advantage of the free Annual Pass, which gives you free admission to BLM, NPS and USFS sites.

Community bike shop? Hang our press-ready “save the date” poster and put out a sign-up sheet, then introduce some youngsters to your local trails (and maybe sell some bikes to eager kids needing to upgrade).

Boy/Girl Scout Troop? Grab the kids and explore — The North Face’s Planet Explore has a great online resource, Explore Your Parks; check the ‘bike’ button first and type in your location.

MTB race team? TKMBD is a great opportunity for youth development and can serve as a teachable moment that there are established rules of the trail.

Regardless of your affiliation, the number of kids, or your destination, please register your event with us in order to receive a TKMBD care package — CLIF Kid Z bars and commemorative race plates — our way of saying “Thank you!” for getting kids out on bikes.

You can also download a press-ready PDF poster to help you promote your local event.

Not Looking to Organize Your Own Event?

No problem — find one near you on our interactive map (check back often as new events are added).

Win A Bike!

Thanks to our friends at Specialized, we will again be giving away two kids’ bikes this year via our Facebook page, so stay tuned for more details! Be sure to upload your photos and videos, and share your stories.

Get IMBA’s New Publication for Youth

With help from Shimano, IMBA now offers a 12-page full-color magazine titled IMBA Trail News Youth Edition. It’s designed for young riders (ages 10-18) and organizers of youth events. Check it out online for free, or order 15 copies for just $5 from our online store. Registered TKMBD rides will receive complimentary copies while supplies last.

It’s Not Just Us

IMBA is proud to support the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative, as a partner in the Outdoor Alliance for Kids (OAK) coalition.